Ah, May…caught somewhere between Easter and the peak tourist season. Warmer and drier than April, but not as hot as the summer.
In other words, a decent time to visit Vienna. Particularly if you enjoy your music, food and drink, for May is a month full of classical and culinary festivals.
- Book a concert experience* for May
- See also:
Top activities in May 2024
So, aside from the usual museums, tours, concerts and other sights, what does May offer the discerning visitor to Vienna?
My quick tip
Johann Strauss II used to entertain the Viennese in the neorenaissance Kursalon back in the 19th century.
Johann may no longer be with us, but his music still gladdens the heart at the same venue, thanks to the evening concerts there.
Exhibitions & fairs in May
(Enjoy the art at the Albertina Modern and Künstlerhaus)
Top tip
Insider tip
Highlights
- The Albertina blesses early summer with a huge Roy Lichtenstein retrospective and a solo exhibition for Eva Beresin
- May 5th is your last opportunity to see selected works from the VERBUND COLLECTION at the Albertina, while two exhibitions begin this month: the staged photos of Gregory Crewdson (from May 29th) and the paintings and prints of Franz Grabmayr (from May 17th)
- A chance to explore the work of Broncia Koller-Pinell in dialogue with her colleagues from the Wiener Moderne at Lower Belvedere. The same location also has modernist art from Ukraine in the early 1900s
- Upper Belvedere takes us into the 18th-century world of Franz Anton Maulbertsch and his paintings
- Grab your chance to view the Robert Matta solo exhibition in its last full month at the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien
- Dive deep into the delights of diverse art (in its widest sense) at the Albertina Modern along with a joint exhibition featuring Bruno Gironcoli and Toni Schmale
- The Kunsthistorisches Museum has an exhibition showcasing Renaissance era works, with a focus on Hans Holbein the Elder, Hans Burgkmair the Elder, and Albrecht Dürer
- The Heidi Horten Collection reveals some of its highlights in the We ❤ exhibition, which includes works by numerous famous artists, with the bonus of a smaller exhibition centered around a Klimt painting
- Talking Klimt, the Wien Museum begins an exhibition (on May 23rd) on the Munich, Berlin and Vienna secessionist movements
- Another highlight exhibition starts up (on May 8th) at the Leopold Museum, drawing on various collections curated by the Vienna Insurance Group. Later in the month (May 25th) we can also explore post-WWI New Objectivity in Germany
- The Kunst Haus Wien continues with the Into the Woods group exhibition of contemporary art around the idea of woodland ecosystems
- Enjoy a couple of photo exhibitions at FOTO ARSENAL WIEN featuring the work of Beate Gütschow and Laure Winants
- The Wien Museum MUSA follows the photo theme with an exhibition for Elfriede Mejchar, an Austrian photographer of international renown
- Make use of the final days (until May 26th) of the Jewish Museum’s perspectives on peace before viewing their answer to the question, “Who Cares?” Also explore the etchings (and story) of Emil Singer
- May is also your final chance to visit the MAK’s major exhibition on textiles and ceramics in contemporary art (until May 20th) and your first opportunity to view the designs of the iconic Auböck design workshop (from May 15th)
- From ceramics to camels and their other domesticated siblings on the evolutionary tree: the Weltmuseum highlights their role in human development and culture. The same institution offers up indigenous art from the Amazon and uses museum exhibits to illustrate a glossary of materials
- The Theatermuseum has a special presentation with excerpts of Beethoven’s original manuscript for his iconic Ninth Symphony
- The life and works of composer Anton Bruckner enter the spotlight (slightly dimmed to protect the displays) at the National Library. Same applies to poet Friederike Mayröcker at the Literature Museum
- Shifting to science, discover how AI is changing how we live and work at the Technisches Museum’s thoughtful Smart World exhibition…and enter the world of the Arctic at the Naturhistorisches Museum
For more exhibition choices, keep an eye on the listings as programmes develop.
More than just galleries
(Visit Edelstoff in the Marx Halle this month)
The Klima Biennale continues through the month with its range of (art) exhibitions and projects which place climate change at the centre of attention.
A few other bonus tips for those with a hankering for creativity:
- The Edelstoff design market featuring lots of independent designers (May 4th and 5th)
- Possibly the Parallel Editions version of Parallel Vienna that puts the focus on art editions (2024 dates TBA)
- The WAMP open-air design market (May 25th) outside the MuseumsQuartier
- Fanzineist Vienna: an international fair that presents self-published and independent publications in creative fields like art, design and literature (May 10th to 12th)
For art in its broadest sense, the huge Wiener Festwochen multidisciplinary art festival starts on May 17th and continues through into June with a wide-ranging programme.
And for something a little different, Vienna COMIX (May 25th and 26th) is a fair and convention covering comics in their widest sense with, for example, cosplay and plenty of Star Wars, too.
#wienliebe
(The mayor and the president of the chamber of commerce announcing the event; photo © Stadt Wien / Bubu Dujmic)
I have to put this one up top. My city!
#wienliebe is a new event for 2024 (May 24th to 26th) presenting the best of Vienna’s food, drink, music, crafts and more in a three-day festival.
Some of the famous gastronomic, brewing and vineyard addresses in the city provide the food, beer and wine.
A stage hosts musical and other performances across a range of genres associated with Vienna (from classical onwards).
Numerous stalls showcase the crafted products of small enterprises and (which might surprise you) even Vienna’s agricultural side.
4GAMECHANGERS
Another large festival is 4GAMECHANGERS (May 14th to 16th) in the Marx Halle, which brings together thousands of people from around the world who are interested in taking us into a better future (and many who are actively doing so).
Each day is a separate track, with talks, panels and other activities around a wide diversity of relevant topics: from entrepreneurship to education, culture to climate change, health to human rights. Languages are English and German (with simultaneous translation of any German talks into English).
The event has plenty of star power (and not just in the surrounding entertainment). Charlize Theron is a speaker this year, for example. Amal Clooney appeared in 2023.
Bring a glass & plate
(The national drink)
Not all the slopes in Austria are for skiing down. The country has a lot of vineyards (as does Vienna itself; see the #wienliebe event above).
Last time I checked the statistics, Austrians also drink more beer per head than anybody except our thirsty Czech neighbours.
Vienna’s bars and restaurants allow you to taste the local beverages, or you can visit these festivals in May:
- If the idea of wine sounds tempting, then consider the VieVinum, an international wine festival at the Hofburg palace (May 25th to 27th).
- The Ottakringer TankBiertage features beer and entertainment at Vienna’s main brewery (May 1st to 5th)
- Lifting the alcohol content a little, the Vienna Gin Festival is scheduled for May 3rd and 4th in the historical Semperdepot
(That famous central European dark bread)
A fine glass of wine or beer goes better with a fine dish of regional food. And, as luck would have it, Vienna has plenty of wider food festivals in May, too.
- The huge Genuss Festival in the Stadtpark city park (May 10th to 12th) showcases the best of Austria’s agricultural and viticultural regions
- Burgenland is a small province east of Vienna, and the Burgenland Kultinarium festival (May 28th to 30th) encourages you to learn about the area with the help of large quantities of its wonderful food and drink
- The Weinviertel region also blesses the capital with its food, tourist destinations, products and the wine for which it is most famous. The Weinviertel-Fest runs May 15th to 17th
- The European Street Food festival (May 4th to 5th) rolls into town with trucks and stalls tempting you with a wide diversity of culinary delights from around the globe
- The Wiener Zitrustage or Vienna Citrus Days (May 17th to 20th) add a little fizz and colour to the month in the rather apt location of the Schönbrunn Palace orangery
- No prizes for guessing the kind of street food and goods available at Veganmania (May 30th to June 2nd) in front of the MuseumsQuartier
If you want to run off the accumulated calories, the ASICS Austrian Women’s Run takes place on May 26th.
Another running event held this month is the Wings for Life World Run, with a flagship event in Vienna (May 5th).
Enjoy the music & celebrations
(The Steffl Kirtag at the cathedral)
The 2024 May festivals don’t end there, either.
- The 2024 Pride event begins this month, running from May 25th to June 9th
- The Vienna Blues Spring festival stretched across the whole of May in 2023, and does so again in 2024
- The wean hean festival has a series of performances reflecting the Viennese song tradition (April 11th to May 11th)
- Donauinsel Open Air is four successive one-day music festivals (May 23rd to 26th) on our long artificial island: electronic, beach party, the 90s and the 80s
- The Gemischter Satz festival at the Konzerthaus venue combines one of Vienna’s notable wine products with classical music and more (May 10th and 11th)
- Think of the annual Steffl Kirtag fair outside the main cathedral as a hybrid market and funfair, with the emphasis on the former (May 9th to 20th)
- The Fest der Freude (May 8th) celebrates the liberation of Vienna and the end of Nazi rule with a free concert on Heldenplatz square next to the Hofburg palace. The Vienna Symphony orchestra performs, with the event also in remembrance of those who suffered at the hands of that occupation
(Heldenplatz – home to the Fest der Freude open-air concert)
Go for a swim
Vienna’s numerous outdoor public swimming facilities usually open up for the summer from early May. These include:
- Family facilities, with shallow pools and family-friendly prices
- Multipurpose facilities, with both indoor and outdoor pools
- Summer facilities with open-air pools. Look, particularly, for the large recreational areas along the Alte Donau lake, such as the Gänsehäufel
Buy some popcorn
(A regular film festival host)
International film festivals normally fill Viennese screens during May. For example:
- The Ethnocineca international documentary film festival focuses on critical evaluation of social, political and cultural structures (May 16th to 22nd)
- The mini version of the Slash Film Festival featuring all things fantastical (May 9th to 11th)
- The prestigious Vienna Shorts festival with its focus on short-form filmmaking (May 28th to June 2nd)
Seasonal tip
Enjoy the flowers
(Part of the city’s tulip displays)
By early May, the spring flower displays planted by the city or national parks authorities are normally in full bloom. Try, for example:
- Schönbrunn Palace – the landscaped gardens in front of the palace are gorgeous. But also take the time to drop into the Kronprinzengarten, a privy garden with geometric shapes made of flower beds and different-coloured gravel
- The Rathauspark: the park surrounding the Rathausplatz square in the centre is usually full of tulips
- The gardens between the two Baroque palaces at Belvedere should have a flower or three by now
- The Volksgarten – a public gardens opposite the Rathausplatz and home to hundreds of different rose varieties
- Hirschstetten – a large (and beautiful) landscaped gardens and park area that also serves as a plant nursery facility for the city